In a typical heating system, water is circulated by a pump through several radiators, possibly a heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder, and a boiler. During circulation, solid particles (for example, iron oxide) which have come loose from the interior of the radiators and pipework can become suspended in the water. Solid particles can also be present as contaminants in the water originally supplied to the system, and the water can become contaminated by dirt where an open expansion tank forms part of the system. These solid particles can cause malfunction if they build up in the boiler or pump, and reduce the effectiveness of the heating system by restricting the flow of water and clogging radiators. The water in a heating system should therefore be continually cleaned to remove solid particles as far as possible.
Various devices are known for removing particles from suspension in a flow of water. Typically these devices include a magnet for attracting ferrous particles, and may also include mechanical separation means for removing nonmagnetic particles. Nonmagnetic particles may be removed by causing a portion of the water to flow through a separation chamber, within which obstruction means are disposed to slow the flow. Particles will then fall out of suspension and become trapped in cavities, which can easily be cleaned during an annual service. Only a portion of the flow is slowed, so that the overall flow rate in the heating circuit is not significantly reduced. A device of this type is disclosed in the applicant's co-pending applications GB2486173 and GB2486172.
These prior devices typically consist of a cylindrical housing, a magnet disposed within the housing along its longitudinal axis, and a mechanical separation chamber disposed at a lower end of the housing. An inlet and an outlet are provided on a side wall of the housing, typically one above the other. The inlet and outlet are configured to set up a swirl of water within the housing. In order to achieve this, the inlet and outlet are typically tangential or substantially tangential to the cylindrical housing. The inlet and outlet are disposed on different tangents of the cylindrical housing, and so are offset from each other both vertically and horizontally when the cylindrical housing is installed in an upright position, with the longitudinal axis of the housing on a vertical line. In use, the incoming flow will immediately come into contact with the inner surface of the curved wall of the housing, and will experience a force perpendicular to the surface in the direction of the centre of the cylinder. The motion of fluid within the housing is therefore substantially circular.
Due to the very tight space within which a device may need to be installed, particularly if it is being retrofitted to an existing installation, tangential inlet and outlet ports may impose an unwelcome constraint upon the installer. Such devices typically need to be fitted to a straight vertical pipe, and the installer will therefore need to install right angle connectors and horizontal pipe portions in order to accommodate the tangential ports which are offset vertically and horizontally. In some cases it may simply not be possible to fit a device of suitable capacity with tangential or substantially tangential inlets.
It is an object of this invention to provide a separator device which reduces or substantially obviates the above mentioned problems.